


Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux (Alternative Ending

by pinkie2054



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Former Dark Side Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Spoilers for Episode: Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux | Sanders Sides
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkie2054/pseuds/pinkie2054
Summary: What if during SvS Redux, Virgil was the one to show up instead of Janus?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Everyone, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Thomas Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Thomas Sanders
Comments: 3
Kudos: 145
Collections: Sander Sides





	Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux (Alternative Ending

The mind palace was in chaos. The “boss battle” occurring had thrown everyone present for a loop. Patton, the sweetest of all sides, was threatening the life of Tony award winning Leslie Odom Jr while shapeshifted into a giant frog, Roman was unsure of his role in Thomas’ life, and Thomas? Thomas was just trying to keep himself together, frantically stuffing down the panic creeping up his spine.

“By the slow wit of Heracles, Patton, leave Leslie out of this one!” Roman shouted, desperately trying to reason with the amphibian side. 

“But how is Thomas supposed to feel empathy for this person if he has no one to visualize!” Patton countered, his voice distorted with conflict and uncertainty.

Thomas focused on taking deep breaths. _What was that pattern? 7-4-8?_ he thought, willing himself to calm down. _God, I wish Virgil were he-_ Thomas’s internal monologue cut out, fear gripping him tightly, halting his breathing. No, Thomas didn’t want _him_ here, not after… not after what happened. He couldn’t believe that Virgil, no, Anxiety had lied to him. Tricked Thomas into trusting him… He took in a strangled gasp of air, the breathing pattern completely forgotten as he avoided any thoughts relating to the purple side.

“Is there… no one else else he can feel empathy for?” Roman asked, wanting to get Patton to release his hold on the actor. 

“You’re right, Roman,” Patton said, shocking Roman. He had thought for sure that Patton wouldn’t see reason. An inventory-style menu popped up in everyone’s field of vision, and they watched as Patton selected something else. “Thomas’ life, or Lee and Mary Lee’s!” The inventory screen disappeared, as did Leslie. In his stead, tightly in Patton’s grip, was Lee and Mary Lee. “Whatta’ you say, Thomas? I don’t know the right answer here! It’s up to you”

Suddenly, Thomas was standing on the train tracks, bound by rope. His friends stood on the adjacent track, separated by a lever. A menacing banner hung above his head, the pointer flicking between ‘Your Life’ and ‘Their Lives’. Thomas’ breath came in short gasps, his vision blurry. 

He couldn’t breathe but he was unable bring his hands up to his throat, he was frozen in fear and restricted by the ropes around him. He turned his head and swore his heart stopped as he saw a train barreling towards him. The pointer stopped at ‘Your Life’ as the trolley came ever closer, and this was it, this was how he died he couldn’t breathe help hi-

“ ** _ENOUGH!!!_** ” A low, echoing voice cut through the sound of the ringing in Thomas’ ears, he recognized that voice, what was that voice, and he was thrust out of the mindscape and into his apartment. Thomas collapsed immediately, labored gasps of air filling his lungs not nearly enough. “ **This has gone on for far too long!”** The voice continued. “ **I won’t allow it _any longer!_** ” Thomas closed his eyes and gripped his hair with his hands, his knees coming up to his chest as he curled into a ball. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched, the unexpected touch exacerbated by his panic, but soon relaxed into the touch as he felt my fear slowly drain away. Thomas heard an intake of breath, and the hand tensed but didn’t move. “ ** _What_ were you thinking?**” The voice growled towards the other sides as he tapped out a rhythm on Thomas’s shoulder. 

“I-I was-“ someone in a light blue polo began. _Patton_ , Thomas’ brain informed him helpfully. Patton was cut off.

“ **You were _what_ , Patton**” the voice snarled, causing him to jump, residual anxiety fueling the movement. He saw the blurry figure wince before taking a few deep breaths. The pattern on his shoulder never stopped, and it seemed vaguely familiar. 4, pause, 7, pause, 8, pause. Thomas froze. His vision being slightly clearer, he made out the black and grey checkered hoodie and black eyeshadow smeared under the voice’s-no, ~~Virgil’s~~ Anxiety’s eyes. Thomas jerked back from him, his hand falling from Thomas’ shoulder as he raised it and his other hand as if to show he wasn’t a threat.

“It’s ok, Thomas, I’m not going to hurt you.” Anxiety assured him, his low, raspy voice taking on a soothing tone. When Thomas showed no signs of freaking out, Anxiety turned his head to face the others. 

“Patton, what were you thinking?” He asked, bewildered. “I have more doubts on a daily basis about Thomas’ decisions than anyone, and even I don’t turn into a giant frog!” 

“Well, kiddo, it was a difficult situation-“ 

“Difficult situation, my ass,” Anxiety sneered. “You’ve been putting Thomas’ mental health in danger ever since I tol- since the last video. I didn't stop you then, but this is where I draw the line! You caused Thomas to have an anxiety attack, damnit! Your methods aren’t working!”

“You leave our rosy-cheeked ribbiter alone, Anxiety!” Anxiety visibly flinched at the name. “He has done nothing but try to help, what have you done these past few months? Nothing! You’ve all but disappeared and yet you have the gall to criticize Patton’s work? You don’t even care about Thomas!” Anxiety reared back, hurt in his eyes. The fight drained from his body. He began to sink out when someone grabbed his hand. 

He looked up, expecting the harsh glare of Roman, but was met with concerned, angry, mismatched eyes. Deceit. Shocked, he allowed himself to be pulled back into reality. “Roman,” Deceit purred, thinly veiled anger in his voice. “You should know better than to lie by now. After all, _Lying is Wrong!_ ” he said, slipping into a perfect mimicry of Patton’s voice at the end. 

“I didn’t lie, you reptilian rapscallion!” Roman defended. 

Deceit tasted the acrid scent of a lie on his tongue. “Oh, Roman, you are _so_ funny. We both know that that’s just not true. Now tell me, just why are you lying?”

“I may have exaggerated a tiny bit,” Deceit scoffed, “but there are seeds of truth! How could he be there to help Thomas, he’s a Dark Side!” Virgil made a pained noise in the back of his throat, sinking in on himself.

Deceit was not going to let that slide. “Roman, thank _god_ you don’t have a mustache! Otherwise, between you and Remus, I wouldn’t know who the evil twin was.” It was a low blow, firing an insult aimed at his insecurities, but in Deceit’s defense, he was being an asshole. 

He felt Virgil’s confused gaze on him, and could hear the lies he was telling himself. _He doesn’t care about you, Virge. It’s just a trick. It doesn’t mean anything._ Deceit sighed. He wished he could convince Virgil differently, but Virgil didn’t want to know the truth.

“What do you want, Deceit?” Thomas asked suspiciously. Deceit rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Virgil here,” he gestured to the aforementioned side, “just put in a lot of effort to get you out of that situation, only to be berated by the people he’s supposed to call his friends, no why would you suggest such a thing?”

“I get that, but… he-he’s a Dark Side!” Virgil looked about ready to cry. 

“I’m still me, Thomas,” Virgil began, his expression vulnerable. “Nothing has changed-“

“Everything’s changed, Anxiety! I’ve been listening to the one of the darkest parts of myself, and not only that, I trusted you! And I thought you trusted us! But, this whole time, you’ve kept such a big thing from me.”

“Because I knew this would be how you’d react!” Anxiety countered. “I worked so hard to just get you to spare an inch of compassion with me, I tried to give my input and when you shunned me again and again, I left! But you told me that you didn’t want that! Was that all a lie? Do you regret coming to get me all those years ago?” Virgil’s voice was small. “Do you wish i never came back?”

Thomas looked stunned. “No, Virgil, I never would want that!” Virgil looked to Deceit, who nodded, a small smile on his face.

“Wow,” Virgil lamented. Deceit’s face dropped. “I’m just gonna, yeah,” he pointed down, sinking out as tears gathered in his eyes. Arms wrapped around him, keeping him in that plane of existence. A head buried itself in Virgil’s neck.

“I would never wish that, Virgil,” Roman promised. “And neither would Thomas. We _love_ you. I-I could never…” Roman trailed off, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid. After a long moment, Virgil pulled away from the hug, tears spilling onto his cheeks. He wiped them away and waved his hand to fix his makeup. 

“Thomas, you may not want to listen to me, but please hear me out. What you’re doing, isn’t working. You’re miserable! There’s nothing wrong with putting yourself first! You give yourself away and never take time to care for yourself, and act like you’re fine, but I can feel your anxiety!” Virgil sighed. “Yes, I was a dark side. And it’s pretty clear that you don’t trust me anymore,” he gestured to his outfit, the monochromatic jacket and black shirt a vast change from the familiar patchwork hoodie. “But please, see reason. You can’t continue like this.”

Thomas looked down, contemplating his Anxiety’s words. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I was wrong.” Thomas snapped his fingers and Virgil was changed into his regular outfit. Said side’s eyes widened, disbelieving. Thomas tackle-hugged Virgil, knocking him over with the force of the impact. “I don’t hate you, Virge.” 

Virgil leaned into the embrace, soaking up the touch. “Group hug!” Virgil announced in a burst of courage. Patton and Roman immediately joined the two, enveloping Thomas and Virgil in hugs.

Thomas looked out of the corner of his eye at the snake faced side. “You too, Deceit.” Deceit hesitated.

“Janus,” he said. 

“Huh?” Thomas questioned, confused.

“My name. It’s… it’s Janus.” Thomas grinned after the deceitful facet. 

“Get over here and hug us, J” Virgil grumbled. “I can finally say your name, thank god. Do you know how many times I’ve had to stop myself from saying it?” Everyone laughed as De-Janus joined the cuddle puddle. 

“Now this, this is self-care,” Virgil mumbled, content for the first time in months.


End file.
